Fielder&#39;s gloves



Feb. 16, 1965 M. HEIMAN 3,169,250

FIELDERS GLOVES Filed Nov. 27, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MELVIN HEIMAN ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1965 M. HEIMAN FIELDERS GLOVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1963 INVENTOR. MEL u 5mm ATTO RN EY United States Patent 3,169,256 FELDERS GLOVES Melvin Heiman, Long Beach, N.Y., assignor to Hillerest Sporting Goods, 1112., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Yorlr Filed Nov. 27, 1963, Ser. N 326,566 Claims. (Cl. 2-19) This invention relates to baseball gloves and specifically to fielders gloves, and an object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved fielders glove having certain advantages in use, in durability and Wear, and in simplicity of construction with consequent reduction in cost of manufacture.

Fielders gloves usually comprise three main parts, i.e., a front piece or part which includes a palm portion extending from the heel to the base portions of the fingers and the front faces of the fingers, a lining ply attached to the back of the front ply having finger stall linings extending therefrom, and a back ply including finger fourchettes in which the finger stall linings register, with means which may be stitching or lacing or partly stitching and partly lacing for securing the parts together. Suitably positioned .padding is usually provided between the front ply and the lining together with suitably positioned lacing to keep the padding from slipping out of place. The back ply, of course, is provided with a hand insertion opening and a wrist strap.

q Fielders gloves may be considered to have a body -portion extending approximately from the heel portion of i the glove upward to the upper border of what may be termed the ball receiving portion or pocket, or the palm, from which border the five fingers including the thumb extend, with a web or backstop provided between the thumb and forefinger. In fielders gloves of standard manufacture, only the roots of the five fingers are fixed to the glove body so that the fingers themselves are separated and spaced from each other in the manner of the fingers of the hand. In order to prevent too wide separation of the fingers of the glove, it is customary to stitch them together by lacing through or across the tips of the fingers and the backstop web is laced down its sides to the juxtaposed sides of the thumb and forefinger.

A characteristic of such standard fielders gloves is that the lacing across the tips of the fingers and the lacing down the sides of the web are the first parts of the glove to give Way by wear in use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of certain new and useful improvements in fielders gloves which overcome the said undesirable characteristic and also provide additional novel advantages.

The fielders glove illustrated in the drawing includes the embodiment of a structure wherein all of the glove fingers and the side edges of the web are fixedly positioned side by side throughout their length by virtue of having the face ply or" the glove formed out of a unitary pattern having no separation between the fingers and web and having a complementary back ply, or back, which also has no separation between the fingers and web. The finger stalls are defined and bounded from each other solely by stitching or lacing extending downwardly from approximately the tips of the fingers to approximately the upper border of the palm of the glove, both front and back, and by stitching passing down the two sides of the web to define the juxtaposed edges of the thumb and fore finger. The manufacture of such a fielders glove is thus greatly simplified with consequent reduction in cost. Forther, the present invention provides for a slit down the middle of the web, with lacing to restrain the slit from widening, and with a thickening or reinforcing piece extending across the top edge of the web on both faces thereof which also closes the upper end or" the slit.

An additional object is to provide a novel construction of the web of a fielders glove whereby the said reinforcing piece is formed.

In the following discussion the term finger fourchettes has been used merely to designate portions of the back piece of the glove which connect the front or palm portions or faces of the fingers to the back piece, or, perhaps more specifically, to designate the back portions of the back piece which together with the palm portions of the glove fingers define finger receiving recesses or stalls. The term fourchette usually implies a forked piece of strip of material either forming the back pieces of forked fingers or joining the back pieces to the palm pieces of forked fingers. Since the fingers of the instant glove are laterally joined to each other throughout their length, or, in the case of the thumb and index finger or forefinger which are joined to the longitudinal edges of the web, whence the fingers are herein not in forked relationship to each other. Hence this perhaps special definition of the term fourchette as used herein is to be understood as used below.

The above as well as additional objects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-hum cred parts on theaccompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, FIG. 1 is a front view of a fielders glove embodying features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the glove but showing a modified construction of the backstop web thereof.

PEG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the web portion of the glove of FIG.

PEG. 6 is a view of the gloves of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 as seen looking toward the side opposite that shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a laid out pattern out of which the face or palm piece of the glove is formed, it being noted that the pattern is cut out of a single unitary sheet of leather or like suitable material.

FIG. 8 is a fragment of a laid out pattern out from a single sheet of the material which forms the parts of which the web ply is provided in the back piece, with parts of the adjoining back piece, the said web ply being shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-? of FIG. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 11 indicates the front or palm piece of the fielders glove, and the numeral 12 the rear or back piece, FIGS. 1-3. The palm piece is provided in the form of a cut out pattern 13, FIG. 7, the outline defining at the top the tips of the fingers 14, 15, 1d and 17, the palm side 19 of the thumb, and a portion 2d of the back side of the thumb, and the heel 21. The web portion 27 which is integral with the palm piece is defined by two parts or sections 22 and 23 separated, in the pattern, by a V-notch 24. FIG. 1 shows all these various parts of the pattern as they appear in the finished glove, the bending or shaping of the pattern into the glove shape bringing the two opposed edges 25,

FIG. 7, of the notch 24 close together to form the slit 26 down through the web 27, the top edge of the web being indicated at 28.

The back piece 12 of the glove is also first made into one piece, by combining separate pieces by stitching or welting and then securing it to the palm piece as will be length and width so that when the two edges hereinafter described; The little -,finger back by an outer strip 29 and a portion -3 of 'anadjacent strip. The adjacent portion of the strip '31 provides, say,

one-half of the next adjacent finger, that is, the. portion 32. The strip 33 provides one-half of the said next ad spectivel'yat 34 and 35, FIG. 2. In like manner a strip 36 provides the other half or" the middle finger at 37 and the adjacent half or the index fingers at 38. These strips are of course properly shaped to provide, with the palm piece finger portions, recesses for insertion of the fingers of the user, and the strips are'secured together by welting.

A unitary piece of leather is used to form the other half of the index fingen the back ply of the web, and there- 7 inaining portion of the thumb, all indicated respectively at ,13, it 41, and 42; The'piece 43is also properly,

shaped before assembly and is secured to the strip 36 by welting, and in the same way to the thumb piece The piece .43 moreover has, prior to assembly, a V-notch similar to the notch of FIG; 7 cut out thereof so that upon assembly the two opposed edges of the notch come close together to form the slit 26a. The tips of the fingers of boththe palm piece and the back piece are also joined by weltifng. The slits 26 and Zea are aligned in the fir I ished web. 1

The fingers stalls and the web 27, 43' are defined oi bordered from each other by stitching extending down: ward from near thetips thereof which passes through both the palm piece ll and the back piece l2.v The glove of course has'the'usual lining plyd-S and the back piece is-provided' with the handopening and the usual wrist strap 46. t

is defined: at the jacent finger and one-half of themiddle finger, shown 1'61 claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is [to that previously describedfor the web per the slot 26 in the web portion or ply 27; Stitchin similar as follows; I j I e v l. A fielders glove includinga thumb and a forefinger and a t wo-ply web betweenthe thumb and torefinger, the 'two plies of the web having aligned substantially median slits therein extending upward from substantially the ,bases thereof dividing each or the web plies into two sections, one of, the plies having the slit therein extending through the top edge thereof, the other of, the

plies having the slit therein: terminating at a point near but spaced a distance from-the'top edge thereof, and, means consisting in the'provision on one of the sections a or one of the web plies of a substantially rectangular extension extending at approximately right angles to the It is to be noted that in bending the pattern 13 of FIG;

I 7 to shape the palm piece and in bringing the edges or" the notchtZd together, the lower end of the slot and the adjacent portion of the web 27 bulges outward. The

' same occurs in the case of the web 41, so that a hollowed portion or recess, P16. 1, is provided at'or near the base or root of the web, shown at 47, which serves to augment the" ball retaining property of the web. The outward bulge just referred to is indicated at 48 inFlGS. 2 and 3.

The two sides of the slits 26 and Zen are held together by lacing passing through both webs 2? and Apiece of leatheror the like 553, substantially rectangular in outline, is folded along the middle to provide two flaps 51 and 52' which are passed down over the top edges of the i a 'two plies oi the web 27, dLVand the flags are sewn in place by stitching 53 passing through bothp lies and the flaps; Thus the upper portion of the slits are closed while the top edge of the combined web is reinforced against wear. a

In the modified form of web structure shown' in FIGS. 3 and 5, the web pcrtionZl', formed of the'palm piece pattern 13 of FIG. 1 in the same manner as above described, is the same as the web portion 2'7 of FIG. 1. However, the web portion 41a together with/the reinforcement piece 54 difier from the equivalent parts 41 slit therein in adirection toward the other section thereof, said extension having awidth substantially twice said distance and a length substantially twice the'length of the top edge of said other section, the upper portion of said extension being doubled back along the median line of its length'thereby providing two {laps each engaging one face of the two-ply web, and means securing the two flaps to the opposed faces of the two ply web.

2, A fielders glove according to claim l, having'additional means securing to each other the portions of the two-ply web on opposite sidestofcthe said aligned slits.

3. A 'fielders glove consisting of a palm piece and a back piece, the palm piece comprising a unitary sheet of material having a peripheral outlinewhich defines the tips of the finger and thumb portions and a first web ply j between-the thumb and forefinger portions together with the heel portion and connecting'edges' between the tips of v the thumb and little finger portions, said palm piece. having the approximately concavo-convex shape of a fielders' glove, said first web ply having a first substantially median slit therein dividing [the same into two sections, the connecting edge of thethumb portion with the heel portion defining additionally a portion of the back of the thumb of the glove, said back piece having a concavo-convex shape complementary to said shape of the palm piece, said back piece having complementary finger fourchettes and a thumb tourchette providing the back walls of the finger and thumb receiving recesses of the glove and a second'web ply between the juxtapose r'ourchettes of the forefinger and thumb, said secoud web and 5d of FIG. 2, but areformed out of the back piece 43a which is equivalent tOfihC back piece d3 of FIG; 2.

The piece 43a is provided in pattern form as indicated in FIG. 8.

the two sides of theweb A V-notch 24a is again out into the pattermbut in this case the side 56 has the 7 piece 54 thereon extending approximately at right angles to the slit side 25:: of the notch. The phantom line 57 is that 'about which the piece 54 is folded against itself to provide the two i'laps 53. The piece 54- has a sufiicient 2 2a and 25a are brought together the fold line 57 matches the top edge'59 or the web part 5'5, answers one fiap ESE-Bthus contacting the upper portion of'the web part the other flap 53 is folded down against the top edge portion of j the web 27 with, of course, the slot formed by the juxtapositioning of the edgesZdzz and 25a aligned with In this pattern the portion dila isequivalent to I the finger portion 4d of FIG. 2, '41 being shown at 55 and 56.

four'chettes and along'the outer edges or said first web ply having a second substantially median slit therein dividing the same into two sections, said back piece being superimposed upon. said palm piece with the tipsoi said 'fourchettes superimposed on said. first-named tips and 'with said first and' second web plies and said first and second slitsfmutually superimposedfthereby providing for the glove, a two-ply web having a slit through both plies thereof, means securing said back piece to said palm piece around the peripheral edges thereof except for the heel portion, substantially downwardly converging lines of stitching passing through the back piece ;between the ply and through the complementary parts of the palm piece thereby providing in the palm piece the front walls of the finger receiving recesses, saidrdownwardlyconverging lines-of stitchingyextending downward to the border of the ball receiving. pocket of 'the'glove, and

means securing said first and second plies together along lines close to the edges of sauna in the two-ply web,

said first slit extending upward through the top edge of said first web ply, said second slit terminating in an upward direction at a point near to but spaced a distance from the top edge of said second slit, and additional means consisting in the provision on one of said sections of said second web ply of a substantially rectangular extension extending at approximately right angles to the slit toward the other section thereof, the extension having a width substantially twice said distance and having a length substantially twice the length of the top edge of said other section, the upper portion of said extension being doubled back substantially along the median line of its length against the opposed face of the two-ply web, and means securing the doubled back extension to both of said web plies and both of said web plies to each other.

4. In a fielders glove which includes a thumb, a forefinger and a two-ply web between the thumb and torefinger, each of said thumb, forefinger and two-ply Web consisting of a palm piece and a back piece, the palm piece comprising a unitary sheet of material having the outline of the front walls of the thumb and forefinger stalls of the glove and of a first ply of the two-ply web therebetween, the back piece comprising thumb and torefinger fourchettes complementary respectively to said front walls of the thumb and forefinger and a second ply of the two-ply web therebetween, said two plies having aligned substantially median slits therein extending upward from substantially the bases thereof dividing each of the web plies into two sections, one of said web plies having the slit therein extending through the top edge thereof, the other of the web plies having the slit therein terminating at a point near but spaced a distance from the top edge thereof, means consisting in the provision on one of the sections of said other of the web plies of a substantially rectangular extension extending at approximately right angles to the slit therein toward the thumb of the glove, said extension having a width substantially twice said distance and a length substantially twice the length of the top edge of said other section, the upper portion of said extension being doubled back against the opposed face of the two-ply web thereby providing two caps each engaging one face of the two-ply web, and means securing the two flaps to the opposed faces of the web and the two plies to each other.

5. A fielders glove according to claim 4, having additional means securing to each other the portions of the two-ply Web adjacent the aligned slits. 7

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 461,819 10/91 Draper 2-19 613,945 11/98 Shibe 2-19 980,679 1/11 Rogers 219 1,000,567 8/11 Whitley 219' 1,045,231 11/12 Whitley -2-19 1,552,080 9/25 Rainey 2-19 2,324,219 7/43 Latina 2-19 2,521,488 9/50 Smith 2-19 3,030,629 4/62 Spohr 2-19 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FIELDER''S GLOVE INCLUDING A THUMB AND A FOREFINGER AND A TWO-PLY WEB BETWEEN THE THUMB AND FOREFINGER, THE TWO PLIES OF THE WEB HAVING ALIGNED SUBSTANTIALLY MEDIAN SLITS THEREIN EXTENDING UPWARD FROM SUBSTANTIALLY THE BASES THEREOF DIVIDING EACH OF THE WEB PLIES INTO TWO SECTIONS, ONE OF THE PLIES HAVING THE SLIT THEREIN EXTENDING THROUGH THE TOP EDGE THEREOF, THE OTHER OF THE PLIES HAVING THE SLIT THEREIN TERMINATING AT A POINT NEAR BUT SPACED A DISTANCE FROM THE TOP EDGE THEREOF, AND MEANS CONSISTING IN THE PROVISION ON ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF ONE OF THE WEB PLIES OF A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR EX- 